This invention relates to a plastic article and, more specifically, to a shaped, light-stabilized, vinyl chloride resin article.
Vinyl chloride resins are now utilized for various applications such as outdoor construction materials. One problem involved in vinyl chloride resin articles is their instability when exposed to sunlight. That is, a vinyl chloride resin undergoes photochemical decomposition upon exposure to ultraviolet rays to form hydrogen chloride. The thus formed hydrogen chloride also accelerates the decomposition of the resin. A number of additives, such as UV screener and a UV absorbent, have been proposed for incorporation into the resin so as to stabilize the resin.
One well known UV screener is ferric oxide (red iron oxide). Since, however, the ferric chloride UV screener can react with hydrogen chloride produced by the photochemical decomposition of the vinyl chloride to form ferric chloride, the light-stabilizing effect is gradually lost with time. Further, the ferric chloride, which is water-soluble, is gradually dissolved in water to spoil beauty of the vinyl chloride resin article and to degrade the weatherability thereof.